Taking a Leap of Faith
by buffdean
Summary: InceptionXnikita - After retirement, Alex, Owen and Birkhoff continued working in small jobs, but when it's asked of them to kill an old Owen's friend, Cobb and his team, the mercenaries double-cross Cobol. Now they have a choice - or they join forces and do one job for Cobol or they'll be hunt down and executed. Rated M for future... well, whatever my muse wants!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! This is my first Inception or Nikita fiction, so I hope you all enjoy :)**

**Reviews are very much appreciated, so indulge me!**

**Gratitude to myparamour for beta-working on this, you're my savior!, and to Nik216, she's the one that came up with the tittle and her stories were my inspiration for this! Thank you my darlings!**

**Without further ado...**

Alex looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror of the dimly-lit hotel room, shoving her fingers through the curls of her hair. She gave her make up final touches: more blush, red lipstick. Hum, better make it a simple nude. She wanted to look professional. After all, it wasn't every day a company like Cobol asked for a private meeting.

The brown and black vertical striped pants and the loose cotton blouse sat flawlessly on her athletic body, as the black high heels elongated her legs, accentuating her ass. Damn, she looked good.

"Alex, are you ready or what?" Owen said, as he opened the door and entered her room. He stopped at the entrance, and as she exited the bathroom he stared at her with a sheepish grin. He thought the looked good too.

"C'mon, Birkhoff is waiting," she said, tapping his shoulder as she walked by him, but not before she took a good glimpse at him. Owen was wearing a dark two-piece suit with a white long-sleeve shirt and a plain black tie. Simple, but both effective and practical considering he was now formally known as her Head-Chief Security Officer; although he represented a more important role in her personal life.

Since the end of Division as well as the end of Nikita and Michael's marriage, Alex was left with the option to regain control over the billion-dollar company of Zetrov, as her father would have expected of her. The power would allowed her to create organizations to help fight against human trafficking, and she could help girls from suffering the same fate she had. Even with that, she still didn't feel quite comfortable with her new role. She wasn't prepared to control the company, or to live more of a normal life, for that matter, with a house, children and a good husband to keep her warm at night. She wasn't sure she wanted any of that for the time being.

Despite her trepidations, she set upon her business and recruited Owen and Birkhoff and together they started a Security Firm operating underground. The business was growing as word continued to spread of a powerful and competent Alexandra Udinov taking the helm of a corporation specialized in solving everyone's problems – for a reasonable amount of money.

Birkhoff waited in the hallway and as they passed him by he joined their quick stride and gave them each an ear piece "Can you hear me?"

"It's working. Birkhoff, access the hotel surveillance cameras, I want a footage of the meeting in our possession," Alex ordered, walking side by side with Owen.

"On it," he said, before turning around to return to his room, temporarily called the Opps Room.

"Let's see what they've got for us," Owen said, before allowing Alex to take the lead and taking a quick glance at the weapon on his waist, just in case he needed to use it.

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

The man sat alone in a booth of the bar with a drink in his hand, studying a few papers. Alex slipped in across him, while Owen stood at her side, opting to stand guard instead.

"My name is Richard Kelly and I'm Cobol's Operations Advisor. A few months ago we suffered unbearable losses with a breach of contract by the signee, and now we need an efficient team to execute a closure with the same said firm." He passed Alex the files and continued. "As I'm sure you can understand, Miss Udinov, Cobol does not take unfulfilled contractual obligations lightly."

"I see," she simply added, as she examined the files, her concentration interrupted by Owen's voice.

"We have a small job in San Francisco, in two days' time we'll give an answer." Alex tried to disguise her shocked reaction as she got up, shook Mr. Kelly's hand and followed Owen back to the Opps Room.

As soon as they entered the elevator she punched him hard in his shoulder, letting out all of her frustration. "What the hell happened in there!? As far as I can recall I'm still the one who does the talking, and we do not have any mission in San Francisco!"

"I know, I'm sorry." he sounded oddly nervous. "We need to leave now Alex, I need to warn Cobb."

Alex stared at him for a few seconds, until it hit her that he was referring to the signee who bailed on the contract. "Dom Cobb? You know him?"

"He helped me while back, he practically saved me from losing my mind." He gave her a sad smile at that before brushing it off of his face. "The least I can do is give him a head's up, before Cobol hires someone who can actually do the job. He has two small kids, you know?"

Alex sighed with renewed frustration. "Fine. We're gonna pay him a visit. And the other two, Arthur and Eames?"

"I'll call Cobb to arrange a meeting, I guess he'll fill them in"

"What!?" Both of them heard through the earplug the shocked tone on Birkhoff's voice.

She smiled and punched Owen's arm again, as she talked to the tech man "Aren't you listening to me, nerd? We're going to California!"

**Hope you all have enjoyed it, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks, as always, to the amazingly lovely myparamour, for helping me improving my work, and to any other reader out there, thank you for your appreciation, and also I would love some sort of feedback, either as a review or a much more discreet personal message, anything! :)**

**Chapter Two**

Alex, Owen and Birkhoff arrived at the designated point early in the morning; a bunker in the most secluded part of the mountains just outside the city. It looked cold and abandoned, with moss covering most of its front wall. Owen parked their Chevrolet Orlando parallel to the Range Rover that was already stationed on the right side of the building, and they exited the vehicle in silence. He knocked twice of the metal door, which opened with a loud creak, the scratching of the metal signifying a need for some repair.

The man she recognized as being Cobb was on the other side of the door, and with a polite smile he invited them in. As soon as Alex stepped one foot inside she froze in amazement. The same bunker that seemed cold and empty from the outside was now seen from the inside as a cozy home, serene and well decorated. The walls were covered in red brick, and although the floors were just polished cement, it was far from the bleak and gloomy working place she had expected.

Immediately to the right it was the entrance hall, a small console table, made of what appeared to be the top drawers of an old light-wood dresser which was supported by two iron trestles, decorated with a couple of small green glass bottles and a dark metal desk lamp. Across it was the main bathroom, and next to that a dark metal staircase, that Alex assumed led to the bedrooms. Beyond that, beams divided the main area into sections; the living room first, the kitchen slightly behind and to the right, and the dining room adjacent to that. There were wide windows and a door that gave access to the outdoors. Alex narrowed her eyes, as she tried to focus her sight. Was that a pool outside!?

Cobb closed the door behind them and greeted them. "Welcome to my weekend getaway."

"If this is a getaway, I'd like to see where he lives," Birkhoff whispered to Alex, as Owen and Cobb greeted each other.

"And you must be Ms. Alexandra Udinov," Cobb extended his hand. "My name's Cobb"

"Just 'Alex' is fine," she smiled.

He gave her a similar smile in return before proceeding down the hall. "Arthur is waiting outside, I'll show you the common area and we'll join him in a nice breakfast he arranged. Are you hungry?"

Alex nodded as Cobb showed them the main floor. The living room held a large, beige leather sofa, big enough for four people to sit in, and to its left a luxurious brown wool daybed. Across from that were two wire armchairs and a coffee table and the room was completed with a massive flat screen TV along the wall.

The kitchen had white wood cabinets with black marble countertops and a small island with two iron seats at the middle. The dark vintage appliances and the lack of much natural light could have made the area dim, but a beautiful plant with long and thin leaves at the corner of the counter, and the light that came from the small window looking out back made it bright enough.

The dining room was the area most exposed to natural light, and the light-wooded table surrounded by different leather armchairs and backless drafting stools gave it all a cozy feeling. But the best part was, without any doubt, the outdoors. Just outside the door a modular wood flooring extended through a large portion of the lawn, where a lounge and barbeque area were created, with smooth white seating pillows and acacia wood furniture, and to top it off there was a large pool that extended to the limits of the terrain, leading to a downhill with a spectacular view of the mountains.

Cobb led them outside, straight to the dining area, where a slightly frazzled suited man arranged a breakfast table. He was tall and slender, and the way the tailored suit and impeccable hair fitted him concealed his true age. He looked up, noticing the newly arrived guests, and greeted them with a firm shake of hands and a soft, warm smile. "I'm Arthur. Please sit." Cobb sat at the head of the table and his tone suddenly sounded irritated. "We'd better start, if we wait for Eames we'll starve"

"No need to worry, darling, I've arrived," Eames slid out from inside the house and took a seats at Arthur's left, picked up a piece of fruit and smiled deviously at the annoyed man that sat at his side. "I'm touched that you still think of me."

Arthur simply rolled his eyes in response to his provocations. They all sat silent for a few moments, eating peacefully, until Cobb's curiosity got the better of him and decided to request some answers from the guests. Cobb took one last sip from the coffee cup and cleared his throat before speaking, in his usually steady tone, "so, Owen, what brings you here? It must be important, since it couldn't be discussed over the phone…"

Owen eyed him, but it was Birkhoff who spoke, showing as much interest in the topic. "Oh, yeah, that was actually my idea, 'cause I'm pretty sure they have our lines bugged. You know, wiretapped."

Cobb eyed him suspiciously. "They?"

"Yeah, you know, the guys that have a bounty on your asses- Ouch!" Birkhoff's sarcastic tone suddenly changed to a howl of pain, as he looked at his left leg and reached down to rub where he'd just been kicked, hard. Alex shot him a sharp look, the kind that says 'if you speak again I'll make you choke on your own blood' as she proceeded to answer the unspoken question Cobb was about to ask.

"Cobol Engineering. It seems they are looking for a team to wipe you out."

Owen shot his hand up, trying to comfort their host. "Luckily, since they reached us first, we have leverage."

"What kind of leverage?" Eames spoke directly to Alex. He wanted an honest answer, and so far as he could tell, she was the best one to get it from.

Alex looked him in the eyes as she replied, "a seven hour window, before we decline the job and they hire someone else." She looked back to Cobb, whose eyes showed fear while his body language attempted to hide it. "We have arranged a meeting at four, that doesn't give you much time to run, but that's all you got"

"I'm not leaving." Cobb shook his head and looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm not leaving my children again."

"It's dangerous for you to stay behind, mate; James and Philippa will be well taken care by Miles," Arthur rationally added, but Cobb reacted negatively to the mention of his children's names.

"I'm not leaving them again!"

"And what exactly are you planning to do?" Eames spoke this time. "March into Cobol's headquarters and demand them to cease their pursuit on us?"

"We could try to make a deal with Kelly, the rep agent."

Arthur held his hand up, "they won't accept it; it's vengeance for them, the tying of loose ends. I doubt you can change his mind"

Alex smiled. "I'm sure you know Owen isn't the best when it comes to negotiating, but I can assure you that I am much more persuasive."

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

The meeting was set on a rooftop bar at a nearby hotel, an established place for businesspeople to assemble and execute contracts. It was the typical location for the typical operation, and as Cobb and Arthur sat at a secluded table and Eames sat at the bar, Alex and Owen approached the table where Mr. Kelly was already waiting for them, with Birkhoff following the whole operation through the hotel security cameras and the ear pieces he gave each one of them.

"Miss Udinov, it's always a pleasure. Have you taken into consideration my proposal?"

"I am sorry but I can't accept, Mr. Kelly." The room felt into silence, as she noticed it was almost empty. A few suited men entered the room in a quick pace, and everything happened fast but strangely as if it was almost in slow motion. In a split second men were scattered all over the room, approaching Cobb, Arthur and Eames, and before Mr. Kelly could raise and aim his gun at Alex she knocked it into the air and turned herself towards the man charging towards Owen, hitting him in his nose with her head, and as the man stepped away, disoriented, she kicked him across the chest, throwing him against a table before he fell unconscious.

She was about to turn back around before she was hit across the cheek with something hard and cold. As she felt to the ground the Mr. Kelly's weapon was lying on the floor, so she quickly grabbed it and as she got up, pointed it directly to the man's face, who was now aiming a gun at her forehead, so close she could feel the rough material in her skin.

She said nothing. She simply aimed her gun at the side of Mr. Kelly's neck. She watched steadily as he yelled in rage, "did you think you could fool me? I know every single detail on your miserable life, and you don't want to die over people you don't even know!" His anger opened a window for her and she made quick work, ripping his gun from his grip and holding it at her side before she froze, realizing what he'd just said.

All of those sad memories of what she had been through over the years hit her at once, all of the people she'd loved and lost, and she smiled sadly as she spoke with conviction. "Then you know what happens when I count to three." She unlocked the safety grip and counted. "One…" the man hesitated, and she continued, now pressing the weapon against his neck "Two…"

"Okay, okay, let's make a deal!" He yelled frustrated in surrender. When she didn't remove the gun he continued. "I have a proposition you won't decline. After that, Mister Cobb and his team can go on living their pathetic lives-"

Alex pressed the weapon harder into his skin, and spoke in a menacing tone. "Which is?"

"Amanda. I want you to perform an extraction from Amanda." He spoke lower through his teeth, infuriated by her sudden power over him.

"And after that their debt is paid?"

"Yes," He simply answered, feeling the pressure of the gun against his skin

"Deal."

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Cobb kindly arranged the guest rooms in order for them to stay as long as they needed, something that was preferable over a hotel for Alex. She liked the way the safe house felt like a home, as a family shared beautiful unforgettable memories there, which were now scattered through the brick walls and in black and white photographs. Most of them were photos of his children, two dazzling blond haired, good-looking small beings, laughing and playing through the shots, a few with an older man and some of them with an older woman too, probably Cobb or his wife's parents, and a couple actually made her smile. One was Cobb and Arthur in a foreign city, Tokyo maybe, and the other was set in the garden, at the couch area, with both Cobb and Arthur slyly smiling in the picture, and Eames doing his own impression of an uninterested grin.

Arthur led them upstairs, to where the guest rooms were. Owen and Birkhoff were sharing a room, and Alex would have one of her own, with her own private bathroom, and the room 'with the best view of the house,' Arthur assured her with a soft smile. And he wasn't lying. The room itself was incredible, what used to be an unimpressive and dirty old attic turned into a cozy feminine bohemian style bedroom, a room previously designed for Cobb's daughter. The walls were all clean white, except the one at the end of the room, with the door that gave access to the small balcony, and the huge beams that crossed the white ceiling, they were mahogany wooded, as so was the floor. The room wasn't heavily furnished, but the essential fittings were there and it was well decorated.

The iron bed was nestled against the wall, and it was covered with thick white quilt, ethnic purple pillows and a small black blanket at the end of the bed. Across the bed, at the corner, was a dressing space, with a clothes rack, a footstool and a floor mirror. And in the other side of the room, a private bathroom was hidden within a blurred glass divider. She walked towards the huge bed and threw herself over the soft, fluffy white blankets, and buried her face in the pillows, overwhelmed by the soft fabric against her skin, and she almost fell asleep, if it wasn't by the voice that brought her back.

"You'd better clean those wounds," Cobb said, pointing to her face, and she smiled, getting up and sitting at the end of the bed. He moved closer and continued, "thank you, for literally fighting for our lives. It means more to me than you'll know. Now, goodnight and rest well, we have a busy day ahead."

**AN: As you could see, I'm a interior designer aficionado, so I'm sorry if I bored you with the extensive interior description... -.-'**

**Hope you'd enjoyed chapter two, hopefully I'll update soon and please, share your thoughts on this!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks, as always, to the amazingly lovely myparamour, for helping me improving my work, and to any other reader out there, thank you for your appreciation, and also I would love some sort of feedback, either as a review or a much more discreet personal message, anything! :)**

**Chapter Three**

Alex woke up in the middle of the night with the sound of her own voice, pleading for her father's aid. Her heart was pounding furiously and her breathing was erratic. Sweat coated her body and tears covered her face, and a tremble ran through her core at the recognition of what happened.

Alex ran her shaking hand through her forehead, cleaning away the sticky, cold sweat, as her heart still fought to lunge out of her chest. She'd been plagued by nightmares, images of her father being killed in front of her and the time she lived as nothing more than an young prostitute, the friends she'd lost at Division, and lastly, the loss of Sean. The feeling of being alone, frightened and powerless was with her every day, and it was too overwhelming for her to bear within her dreams as well.

Alex looked at the vintage metal clock perched upon the end table, it was only a few minutes past four. She got up and walked towards the bathroom sink, turning on the cold water to its full power, scooping and splashing water onto her face. She grabbed a small towel and walked towards the balcony, and looked at the punching bag that was set next to the lounge area. That would do for a couple of hours.

Dawn rose quickly, and after four hours of training she wasn't tired at all. Although she would prefer to continue working out, in an hour or so Cobb would initiate their training in the dream sharing, so it would be better for her to take a quick shower. She ran quickly up the stairs, holding to the rails, and she was so absorbed by her own thoughts that she almost bumped into Eames. He stopped her by her shoulders and smiled, as the imminent crash was avoided.

"Morning darling, up already?" he took a glance at her as she stepped back, raising an eyebrow. She was in sports clothes, and her skin was all sticky and sweaty. She didn't know what to say, so she quickly walked pass him by and entered her room in haste, closing the door behind her, but she could still hear him say before he walked away, "Nice chatting with you."

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Arthur gathered everyone outside for breakfast, and after a quick snack Cobb took the meeting to the couch. Alex was still sipping her coffee when Cobb got up and walked towards the white board as he started to speak.

"We need a plan, a well-structured plan before-"

"I'm sorry chief, but this is our field of expertise." Birkhoff got up from the couch and walked towards Cobb, giving him a pat on the shoulder before starting to talk. "Amanda is in a U.S. secret basement, right? Well, they have received an order to relocate on the 15th, due to security issues, by yours truly, Shadow Walker, and we have a two hour window to hijack the transportation – probably an SUV - before they noticed it's off route."

It was obvious that Cobb, Arthur and Eames didn't understand anything Birkhoff just said, Alex noticed as she looked at their faces. Both Owen and Alex herself were graduates of Birkhoff 101, but to everyone else the only response is to give off a look that says, 'we never know exactly what he's saying, we just nod and smile politely.'

Alex wanted to laugh at the sight of those men staring awkwardly at Birkhoff, but instead she cleared her throat to draw attention from the tech man. "Okay, Owen and Birkhoff, you two go on and find a way to get us inside that car. Arthur and Eames, do whatever plans you do before an extraction. Cobb, I need you to teach me all I need to know about dream share, I'll be going with you."

Everyone suddenly started talking at the same time, the commotion making it clear that they didn't agree with her plan. But time was running short, and she wasn't there for a debate. "Listen Owen, I saw you limping, your leg, it's worse, right? And you Cobb, you need someone who's been inside Division, 'cause no matter the plan these two come up with, I bet it involves me. I'm the key to get through here, and you know that, so quit stalling, we have less than 36 hours to come up with a plan and execute it."

Without further hesitation, Arthur went inside to grab the PASIV kit as Cobb guided Alex to the reclining chairs, leaving the rest of the men to the research and outline the plan. Cobb laid on the chair and as he waited for Arthur to return he turned to Owen. "What happened to your leg?"

Owen looked down at the injured leg, "I got shot."

Birkhoff, without looking away from the laptop screen, clarified, pointing towards Alex, "She did it."

Alex could feel everyone's eyes on her, and she could sense her cheeks burning red, so she spoke nervously, "What!? It was the only way they wouldn't take him as hostage!"

Arthur stuck the PASIV needle into Alex's forearm, and she could see he, as well as Cobb, were still smiling from her declaration, so she spoke lower this time, in a shy, childish tone, "It seemed a good idea at the time…"

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Dom handed Alex a cup of Starbucks coffee as they continued their walk through a busy Californian street, people coming in and out of big high-fashion stores with their arms filled with shopping bags with designers logos on them. Alex stared at the new Diesel collection; there were a few military styled pieces she wouldn't mind adding to her closet. She took another sip of the hot beverage while she practically drooled over a black leather jacket, but suddenly she froze. How did she get here? She looked around at the people surrounding her, and her mouth dropped slightly open as she felt her heart racing towards an abnormal pace, as the memories flooded her head. She recalled being in the safe house, on a reclining chair, waiting for Arthur to bring the PAS-

Suddenly the ground and buildings started to shake, first a small earthquake, but its force and impact grew by the second. She felt two hands grabbing her shoulders and now she was facing Cobb, who spoke gently but with a nervous tone. "Alex, if you don't calm yourself, the dream will collapse."

Alex looked Cobb straight in the eyes and exhaled heavily, bringing herself to a serene state. After a few seconds, the street stopped shaking, and the people around them resumed their activities, as if nothing had happened. Cobb smiled at her, "I'm impressed. I've never seen someone untrained being able to prevent a dream from collapsing." He let his hands slide off her shoulders and he brought them behind his back, continuing his lecture as they walked side by side.

"When awake, we only use a fraction of our brain's true potential, but when we sleep, our mind can do almost anything. We can create, control and manipulate the dream world, its landscapes, buildings and characters, but dream sharing requires certain tools." Alex nodded and Cobb continued, "We are the tools. The Subject is the person providing the information and projections needed to the fill the dream setting. The Dreamer is the person who creates the world of the dream. In our situation here, I am the Subject and you are the Dreamer, and that is why when you realized you were dreaming the world almost collapsed."

They contoured the street corner and now they were walking on the sidewalk across the beach. "What about the subject?

"If the dreamer realizes he's dreaming, the mind will search out the invader, and soon the projections will turn against the dreamer, fighting him as our body fights an infection."

Suddenly Alex stopped. She saw Thom. At least, she thought she did. Then everything unwound quickly. In a few seconds, Thom was approaching them with a handgun and was ready to shoot them, but Alex pulled Cobb out the range. He continued to shoot against the wall they were hiding behind.

"What's happening?" Alex yelled under the sounds of brick being torn apart, as she and Cobb covered their heads with their arms.

"The projection is reaching for the subject!"

"Thom, stop it!" Alex yelled desperately, and the shooting stopped. Alex slid out from cover and passed Cobb, and although he tried yelling 'no!' under his breath, she still made her way in front of the projection of Thom. She could feel the tears building up in her eyes, and although she tried to speak calmly as soon as she spoke her voice audibly low and trembling.

"Hi Thom," she forced a smile, and that was when the tears ran down her face. "I miss you so much… Please, don't shoot Cobb, okay?"

The boy raised his gun. "It's not him I'm after," and shot her in the head, waking her up with a brutal shake.

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Both Alex and Cobb awoke with a jump. Cobb got up instantly and walked around, his blue eyes wide in shock. Arthur and Eames ran immediately towards them, Arthur helping Cobb stop the bleeding from where the needle was ripped, and Eames helped Alex straighten up. She quickly cleaned away the tears that were steadily falling down her cheeks, and although Eames didn't say anything she knew he'd noticed them. Owen walked slowly towards them, and as soon as he approached them Eames stepped away, giving him space to stand between him and Alex.

Arthur passed a clean tissue to Cobb, who was now just cleaning the blood around the small wound, and spoke lowly, "What happened?"

"Alex was doing fine, she'd even stopped the dream from collapsing, but then a projection shot her."

Eames looked at Cobb and spoke exasperated, "A projection kills the subject, not the dreamer. Maybe the shot was meant for you."

Cobb passed the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead, trying to think as the adrenaline in him gave another kick. "No, no, I was out of range. He really meant to shoot her."

"It was Thom," she spoke to Owen, but everyone turned to her. "He's dead because of me"

"Even if that were true, that's not really him, it's your own guilt projected towards you." He sounded calm, and its voice was now as smoothly as ever. "You can't hold onto something like that."

She looked at him until Cobb's voice brought her back from her trance. "Alex, are you alright?" She nodded back at him and smiled tried to smile as he continued, "It's better if you rest a couple-"

"No, I'm ready, let's do it"

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Another restless night found Alex once again outside, in the early hours of the morning, beating senseless the poor punching bag. 'Whoever decided on this outside gym is a genius.' The workout relaxed her tensed body and the fresh air relaxed her troubled mind. Although the previous day had drained her, nothing could push away the horrible nightmares that kept creeping around when she slept.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice him approaching.

"I've just realized how poorly your sleeping habits are, it must be frustrating not to be able to sleep."

The British-accented voice brought her back to reality. She stopped, but she didn't need to turn around and face him to know who he was. "I can sleep, Eames, I just prefer not to."

"Hmm, I see." He held her hand in his and pulled her away from the training bag. "Come with me love, the dummy has suffered enough. Besides, I've got something better for us to do"

#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#

Eames took Alex down the hill, to an even more secluded part of the mountain. He had on his shoulder a duffle bag that he managed to get while she was inside the house grabbing her hoodie. When they finally arrived at their destination, Eames turned on the large solar spotlight sitting a few feet away. He unzipped the bag and picked up an air rifle and handed it to Alex, before walking a few yards upfront and setting a dozen empty soda cans on an improvised fence. This was their practice field, she realized, and it was a good place, for there was no way the people still sleeping at the safe house could hear the sound of the weapons.

"Okay, you shoot while I drink a few beers, the first one you miss we trade places."

"I-"

He cut her off right away, with his trademark grin spread all over his face. "Don't you worry darling; I brought you a pack of Red Bulls. You weren't intending on sleeping anyway, were you?"

In between shooting down the dozen cans in turns, to then picking them up and starting shooting once again, the hours passed without Alex really noticing. They spoke of frugal subjects and the job they were preparing themselves for, but nothing actually personal, Alex noticed, as she was shooting the last two cans on the fence, and Eames sat in a plastic chair with a beer in his hand, watching her aim at the target.

"Tell me something about you," he simply asked

"There's nothing to tell," she lied, as she shot down the can with a perfect precision, not turning to face him, and aiming towards the last can standing.

"Your accent is Russian, that I am sure, and by the way you refuse alcohol and hesitated when the needle touched your arm I can definitely say that you were addicted to both." Without her noticing he had crept up behind her. "…Which is very common with the sex slaves fallen victim to trafficking. Am I close?" She could feel the warmth of his breath touching her ear, so she stood as quiet as her racing heart allowed, her chest up and down as she tried to hold her aim at the can. "What happened with Thom?"

And that was it. She missed the shot, as her heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name "I don't want to talk about it," she said with what she hoped was assuredness, only her trembling voice gave her away, Eames noticed. She shoved the gun towards his chest and walked passed him, sitting down in the chair right across from where he was previously.

Eames put his hands up, in a gesture of surrender, and spoke with a low, smooth voice. "It's okay. Actually, I'd rather not listen to some old, sad story, it ruins both my mood and my fuddle…" by now he had already sat on the other chair, and they sat silence for a few moments. He scanned her for a second. She was very good-looking, with pale skin, light blue eyes and plump pink-ish lips, and more curves in that athletic body of hers than a common man could ever bare. And still, when it came to her personality, she was just like an iceberg, underneath all that superficial beauty there was an unseen complex nature, most likely to make a man sink than to help him swim to shore…

He smiled at her, as he already knew her reaction to his following statement. "I've gotta give it to you darling, this is the most peculiar date I've ever been on."

"It's not a date!" she snapped out loud, giving him just the exact annoyed reaction he expected. He was looking straight at her, a mocking smirk playing in his lips, as he rubbed the edge of the beer bottle with his index finger. She rolled her eyes and she smiled, a warm genuine smile she quickly tried to cover by drinking a gulp of Red Bull. He continued staring at her, with a raised eyebrow, and resumed his teasing speech.

"But it was surprisingly enjoyable. We should do this again soon!"

She cracked-up in a loud laughter, something that made him chuckle. She was always reserved and liked to keep to herself, playing safe when it came to people, but now he could sense she was completely relaxed, aside from being tired, she was really enjoying herself and the company, he hoped.

Eames got up and arranged all the gear together, and spoke as he observed the east horizon "The sun is rising. We better go, if we want to catch a couples' hours' sleep."

**AN: This fic was supposed to be only cannon-pairings, but I got to give it to my muse, Alex and Eames being all friendly is super cute! But that's all they are, friends! You hear me, stubborn muse!?**

**Hope you'd enjoyed chapter three, hopefully I'll update soon and please, share your thoughts on this, pretty please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks, as always, to the amazingly lovely myparamour, for helping me improving my work, and congrats for her baby niece Mya!**

**To any other reader out there, thank you for your appreciation, and also I would love some sort of feedback, either as a review or a much more discreet personal message, anything! :)**

**Chapter Four**

After the meeting with Eames the previous night, Alex actually fell asleep as soon as she got into bed, right after a quick shower. She got up a few minutes past eight, feeling genuinely in a great mood for once, and decided to take a nice bubble bath before walking downstairs. The citrus scented gel was just perfect, it gave her skin a smooth touch and a fresh aroma, and after drying her body and hair, and putting on some plain cotton bra and pants, she walked towards the clothes rack. She picked up slim jeans, a white tank top and a green plaid shirt, that she rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. Some military style ankle boots, her hair loose in waves and light makeup and she was ready to go, just like any normal young woman would do.

Arthur was outside, as usual, and she greeted him with a smile, as she grabbed the morning journal and a cup of coffee. She sat on her default chair and read the journal, while sipping occasionally on the cup, as Arthur stood across her reading something out of his smartphone.

Although her eyes ran through the tittles, Alex couldn't focus on any news, her mind wondering on what had happened the previous night. And what exactly had happened? She wasn't sure, but she felt like she'd just let go and actually enjoyed something since she had lost Sean. Maybe she could enjoy herself more often, hang out with her friends, and have fun for a while, since the days of Division were long gone. She was no longer one secret operative, she was a free young woman, smart enough and with the right resources to make something out of her life. Maybe after this mission she would take control of Zetrov's, and use it to do good.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a warm hand on her shoulders, and as she looked back Owen was looking back at her, with a playful smile spread on his face "Morning Alex, are you done with that?" He said, pointing at the paper, fully aware she wasn't even reading it. She smiled back and handled it to him, grabbing a bagel and filled it with scrambled eggs and bacon. She was so absorbed in that delicious high-calories breakfast that Birkhoff had to talk louder this time to capture her attention.

"Alex, are you listening to me? Geez, what's up with her today?"

"I'm just enjoying my breakfast" she replied "I'm in a good mood today, don't ruin it"

Arthur's phone rang and he immediately got up and walked away, and Birkhoff continued scrutinizing her "Alex in a good mood? That's something I've never thought I'd see in my life time…"

She shot him an annoyed glare, something that made Owen laugh "Don't push her Seymour"

"I'm glad to see our night activities took a rather delightful effect on you, darling, you look stunning" Alex eyes widened at Eames, who was not staring at her as he sat in front of her, teasing her with his stupid grin and playful tone as he now addressed her clueless friends, mocking her own words "It was not a date"

Alex was about to talk back at him when Arthur and Cobb came back to the table, the young man speaking to the rest of the group "Ariadne's plane arrives in half an hour, and Yusuf's twenty minutes after. I'm on my way to the airport to pick them up"

"We need to work quickly, we only have five hours before we put the plan on motion" Dom replied, as he sat at the top of the table and grabbed his own breakfast, now speaking directly to Alex "If you want we can go under a last time before the job"

Eames quickly interrupted "If you don't mind mate, I can handle this one. It is better if Alex gets familiarized with my work before the job."

Dom looked at Alex and she nodded back at him "Just make sure you two are careful"

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Alex was not a paradisiac beach at sunset, a beautiful scenario; the warm breeze caressed her face as she observed the horizon, painted orange and red-ish. She looked over her shoulder; Eames was sat at the sand with his arms wrapping his knees, as he looked right back at her, his dark-grey eyes concentrated deeply in her face "Nice move Eames" she commented dryly, sitting by his side as he shot her one ravishing smile "What now?"

"I think it is better for us to wait for that little boyfriend of yours" he paused, looking straight ahead, his grey eyes sharp and focus on the sea "How do you take care of that matter?" After her first encounter with the Thom Projection, Cobb took her under again and revealed to her he had once the same problem with his deceased wife, Mal, and the way to get rid of her in his dreams was by shooting her down. After a while of doing it as a routine, Cobb didn't feel so bad about it and her projection fade away, to never return. So he advised Alex to do the same to the boy, it might be hard at first but she'd get used to it, and sooner she'd get used to it the sooner they'd disappear.

"A bullet in the head" Alex continued observing the sunset, never once looked back at him, and they stood for a while in silence.

"Who was he?" Eames asked, as curiosity got the best of him

"Thom's a friend" How could Alex explained Eames who Thom was, and what she'd done to him? Thom was her only friend inside Division for a while, but when he found out she was the mole he didn't even hesitated for a second, he wanted to bring her down at any cost, and unfortunately he got shot during the rustle for the weapon he held "I shot him" his death gave her the perfect coverage, being Thom implicated as the mole, buying her more time inside Division "He's dead because of me"

Eames didn't insist, and she silently thanked him for that.

Suddenly a car stopped with a loud gridding of rubber on the sidewalk stone, making both of them straightened up at the same time, but Alex stood motionless as she saw not only Thom exiting the car but also Sean. Her chest tightened and she could feel some stubborn tears forming in her eyes, as her entire body froze. Eames was saying something she couldn't understand, as she failed to react. Sean shot the first row, and Eames pulled her down, shielding her from the shooting, taking abruptly the gun off her hands and shooting back at them. Both the projections stood back, behind the car doors, what gave Eames the opportunity to held Alex by her arm and push her away from the beach, hiding behind a parked car.

Eames and the projections shot one another, bullet's coming and going until one that came too close and Eames got hit in his arm. He sat back down at Alex's side, holding his arm as the wound started to bleed all over his dark-grey suit jacket. She got up, but instead of a handgun she had a machine-gun, which she immediately started shooting as she walked towards their opponents, destroying the car and killing the projections quickly.

"Hmm, are you alright love?" Eames was now walking towards her as he spoke hesitantly. She had her eyes closed and her jaw tightened, and as he waited for any indication of her condition she slightly opened her mouth to speak and a few tears fell from her big blue eyes that were now glaring at his. She wiped off the tears and spoke, a sad low humming coming out of her full lips.

"They're just projections, right?"

He stood quietly; he actually didn't know what to say. Those two men were memories of her past, and those memories brought her unimaginable pain "You are confined only by the walls you build yourself" he was now right in front of her, only a step back. "You need to learn to let go" he then took off his dark-grey suit-jacket and rolled up the sleeve from the dark-blue shirt, leaving the wound exposed. Alex handled him her weapon and took off her plaid shirt and ripped off a piece of fabric, covering his bullet wound with it. Eames raised an eyebrow as he observed the gun in his hand and looked back at her.

"If we're dreaming, we might as well dream big" she added, as she finished a last knot. She could feel his glare falling upon her tank top cleavage, so she tied the knot with a little more strength that she usually would use, making him flinch and growl. He chuckled, a soft smile placed in his plump lips, and she smiled back at him.

"I'm beginning to think we're a lot alike, you and I." he said, with a grin playing in his lips, as he backed off and sat at the sidewalk, and she sat by his side "Okay, we better get back to our lesson… Let's see… I'm a forger…"

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It was much more enjoyable to wake up as the PASIV timer went off, instead of waking up scared half to death with the feeling of someone wiping you out of this world, Alex thought, as she lazily opened her eyes. She got up slowly and observed as Eames rubbed his arm where he got shot, and as he felt her gaze on him he chuckled "It's not real, but still hurts as hell"

A female voice spoke from the door, and as Alex turned her head she noticed a small brunette with big brown eyes smiling widely as she walked towards Eames. He smiled back at her as he embraced her and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek, the girl's face turning red a second after.

"_Ah, salut, ma chére, comme sa va_?" the girl simply giggle at his greeting, and he set his arm on his shoulder, turning her to face Alex, his face tender as he spoke "Ari, let me introduce you to my lovely friend Alex. And Alex, this adorable little woman is Ariadne…" he clean his throat and spoke lower, discontent written all over his tone "Arthur's _beau_"

Ariadne rolled her eyes as she kindly pushed him off and extended her hand towards Alex "Eames, behave. Alex, very nice to meet you, Arthur told me a few things about you"

Alex shook her hand softly and smiled back at the addicting smiling girl "Not all bad things, I hope"

"Oh, not at all, he's actually very excited to work with your team!"

"Are you joining us as well?" Alex asked, as both join the group

"No, not this time, I'm just here for support"

Cobb waved Alex to approach "Alex, this is Yusuf, our chemist"

Alex greeted the nice Indian man with a shake of hands and a smile, but she felt uncomfortable as there wasn't actually anything to talk about with him, and she wasn't a big chit-chatter. She excused herself politely and walked towards Ariadne, who was now indoors in the kitchen, placing the take-out food in separate trays, absent minded of her presence.

"Can I help?" Alex asked kindly, and she smiled as the girl jumped surprised and smile back to her. "Oh I'm sorry, didn't mean to startle you!"

"No, it's fine, I was just thinking…" Ariadne stopped, instead of finishing her sentence she grabbed two trays and walked outside.

Needless to say more, Alex already knew what she was worried about. It was, after all, a dangerous mission, and Cobb had told her they'd be using the same drug they had used in the Fisher's job, a powerful drug that kept them from wakening prior to the completion of the job, but if they died in the dream they would not wake up, they would be left in a permanent coma, lost in limbo. Last time Ariadne brought Cobb back, but this time she wouldn't be there with them, and so she must be worried sick.

Alex grabbed the other two trays and followed her, placing the incredible good smelling trays filled with steaks with pepper sauce, white rice and salad in the table and sitting back in her place.

"We need to get over the plan one more time" Cobb spoke in his naturally calm tone, but in response the group replied with grunts and groans and dissimulated laughs, as they throw his way the beer bottles metal caps, and Cobb looked back at them with an offended expression.

"Ugh, come on dude, we've been over the plan a thousand times, give up already, it doesn't get any better than that!" Birkhoff cried out loud annoyed, as he brought the bottle up and drank a sip.

"Can we just forget about work for now and enjoy the meal, please?" Alex asked sighting, and Arthur picked up his bottle and nodded to her, smiling as the rest of the group did the same.

"I cheer to that!"

**AN: ****Hope you'd enjoyed chapter three, hopefully I'll update soon and please, share your thoughts on this, pretty please!**


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